My Traveling Soldier Alternate Ending!
by gingaloid
Summary: What would the end have been like had Will returned home from war? Alternate ending to My Traveling Soldier. **IT'S HAPPY DON'T WORRY**


**A/N: **So I know my original ending was heartbreaking. It was so hard for me to follow through with because I want wemma as happy as the rest of you do. But since the ending was written before the beginning, I felt like following through was the thing to do. That being said, I have for you a **happy** alternate ending (: This is the first part. It is assumed that Will and Carl's final mission went without a hitch, they destroyed the camp and now are home, both of them in one piece with more mental scarring than anything, but I don't want to get into that with this happy ending, so just keep it in mind.

I'm trying to work on the second part, but I am not sure exactly where I want that to go - if you have any suggestions, PM me or tweet me or message me on Tumblr. R&R is loved as always. **-Tayma**

****Happiness Has A Violent Roar from _Happiness_ by The Fray****

* * *

Happiness Has A Violent Roar

"Emma Roxanne Pillsbury!"

Emma strode proudly across the stage to greet the man who would be handing her a diploma. She was wearing a red cap and gown and smiling from ear-to-ear. She couldn't believe that she had finally made it through high school and the past two years without her best friend. They'd been brutal, but none of that would matter after the awards ceremony.

She hadn't heard from Will since his letter announcing he would be returning home, nor had she seen him anywhere around Lima. Emma hadn't heard from Clarissa, either, but she just figured if Will was home, he wanted to spend time with his grandmother before he saw Emma. That was something she could completely understand. He just said he'd be home for her graduation; that didn't mean he had to sit through the ceremony.

Still, Emma couldn't help but repeatedly glance hopefully at the crowd, hoping maybe Will and Clarissa would be arriving late. She wanted him to see her get a diploma. She worked _so hard_ the past two years without him and she wanted him to be proud of her.

When she heard her name called, she walked across the stage proudly, accepting her diploma and accepting that Will wasn't in the crowd of people. It was okay. Christopher was there and that was just as good in her opinion. They were the two people who always supported her and made her feel confident. As she returned to her seat, she made a face at Shannon who made one back and laughed. The two girls were on top of the world in their opinions. Emma watched as all her other classmates received their diplomas, then as a group the whole class flipped their tassels from one side to the other and it was official. They were no longer high schoolers. At the ceremony's end, Emma found Shannon and they spoke excitedly for a few minutes before going to find their respective families. They planned on meeting up later that night so Emma could introduce her to Will before Shannon left for vacation tomorrow.

Upon finding her family, Emma was greeted with a loud whoop from her brother and a huge hug from her father.

"We're so proud of you, Emma," he said, kissing her cheek.

"Thank you, Daddy!" She beamed and looked at him, trying not to squirm from excitement that she would be going to see Will in a few minutes.

Rusty passed Emma off to Chris who hugged his sister and messed up her hair. Rose was the last and she smiled, running a hand over Emma's hair, "I'm proud of you, Emma."

Emma smiled at her mom and dad before finally letting out a sigh, "Okay I've been trying not to ask, but please can I go to Clarissa's and see Will?"

Her parents shared a look for a moment and Emma looked between them, confused. Had they changed their minds? Were they not going to let her go see him?

"Mom…I can go see Will, right?"

Chris rolled his eyes at his parents and looked at Emma, "Go before they stop you." He smiled widely and shooed her away. Emma kissed each of their cheeks and took off, running out of the gymnasium and out into the rain, her legs carrying her as fast as they could down the street from the school gymnasium, heading towards Clarissa and Will's house.

Reaching the front door of the Schuester residence, Emma knocked on the door excitedly, fixing her damp cap on her head. She had to rein her emotions in, feeling on the verge of exploding with excitement. When there was no answer, Emma knocked again, this time a bit louder, biting her lip. It took another minute or so before she heard the door unlocking then opening to reveal Clarissa standing before her. The woman appeared with a bright smile on her face and she opened the door, shaking her head.

"Emma Pillsbury, what in Heaven's name…you're all wet!" Clarissa laughed and looked at the young woman before her. Emma had grown up into such a beautiful young woman, and Clarissa was so proud of her.

"It's graduation. Will wasn't at the ceremony, but he's supposed to be home. I figured he was maybe just asleep. Is he? Can I wake him?"

Clarissa looked at Emma and shook her head. She crossed her arms and smiled at the young woman a little, her eyes sparkling. "No, you can't. He's not home."

"B-but the letter said…" Emma swallowed, getting nervous. He said he would be home for her graduation. He'd promised.

"I know what the letter said, but William simply is not in this house. Though he may be somewhere in Lima. He asked me to give you this." Clarissa held out a folded piece of paper to Emma, her smile growing slightly. She knew exactly what was supposed to happen.

Emma took the paper, looking confused. She unfolded it and saw his handwriting sprawled across spelling out _Let's start where we ended._ Emma read it through a few times before smiling widely. She kissed Clarissa's cheek and ran out of the house and down the road, heading towards the pier as fast as her legs could carry her.

The rain in Lima was relentless, coming harder the closer she got to the pier. She reached the pier quickly, slowing when she arrived and he wasn't there. Her lip trembled and tears threatened her eyes. He was supposed to be here, wasn't he? Walking to the edge of it, Emma stood facing the lake, staring down at the paper in her hand. Start where they ended. That's the pier. That's the last place they saw each other. Each new rain drop fell into the lake water, creating a small depression and a constant plopping noise that seemed to match the swift rhythm of her rapidly beating heart. Emma's robe was soaked through from water, her mortar board cap now limp from the unwelcome moisture. Her tassel hung dripping by her face. After a few moments, she heard footsteps on the wooden platform behind her. Whipping around, Emma's heart stopped. Standing feet away from her was the one person she'd longed for more than anything in the world for the past two years.

Emma stood frozen, watching as the man before her stopped walking about ten feet away from her. Tears filled her eyes as she watched him, trying to remember how to move.

"Emma Pillsbury?" He yelled over the rain, smiling at her widely. "I've waited two years to see your beautiful face again!"

Letting out a happy sob, Emma ran to Will, wrapping her arms around him and embracing him tightly. She buried her face in his neck as he lifted her up, holding her to him tightly. Her legs wrapped around him and she held herself as close to him as possible, crying against him. He chuckled a little, hearing her cry into his neck and he pulled away slightly, kissing her head.

"Honey, don't cry. It's okay, I'm home."

"I kn-now! That's why I'm crying! I've missed you s-so much!"

Will looked at Emma and leaned forward, planting his lips against hers firmly, smiling against her lips when she returned the kiss, holding his face to hers. When they pulled away after a few moments, Will kissed the tears away from each of Emma's cheeks and smiled at her, kissing her nose.

"I missed you more than anything, Emma." He set her back down on the ground and took her hand, spinning her around gently. "Get a look at you, Emma Pillsbury. More beautiful than I remember."

Emma let out a laugh through her tears and shook her head. She walked over to Will and started patting him all over his body, swallowing and looking at him.

"My God, you're actually here. I'm not making this up! You're home."

"I'm home. I promised you, didn't I?"

"Yeah…wow. Will, you're…you're…" Emma shook her head, pulling him into a hug again. "You're the best graduation present ever."

Will smiled and reached up, pulling off Emma's ruined mortar board cap before hugging her back gently, resting his head on hers. They stood hugging in the rain for a while before Will pulled away, much to Emma's dismay, who pouted at him when he stepped away from her. Will laughed a little and took a deep breath, looking at the woman before him.

"Two years ago, I left you here with a promise that I would return home to you. There have been many times in the past months that I didn't think I would be able to keep that promise to you, but I managed to do so. Now I know I already asked you, and I know you already said yes, but you deserve so much more than that." Will pulled a small box out of his pocket and knelt before Emma on one knee, popping it open to reveal a small diamond ring.

"Emma Pillsbury, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. When I was away, I used to dream of your beautiful face and carry a picture of you with me everywhere I went. You deserve the world, Emma. You deserve someone who cherishes the ground you walk on and is willing to give everything up to make sure that you have the world. I can be that person for you. I have loved you for eleven years, and I will love you until the day I die. Tomorrow evening, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Emma smiled widely and nodded swiftly. "Yes, Will. I will marry you." She laughed and launched herself at him, hugging him tightly again. At the moment, she didn't care so much about kissing him. She could kiss him forever. But she'd dreamed of hugging him and holding him in her arms for two years. That was something she had to do now.

Will pulled away and slipped the ring on her finger, kissing it and then her lips gently. "Now I love you and I love our reunion, but it's raining and it's cold. Shall we head home?"

"Yes, we should." Emma looked at Will and took his hand, threading their fingers together. "Will? I'm really so glad that you're home. I missed your face and your voice far too much. Please don't ever leave me again."

Will shook his head and kissed her temple, swinging their hands as they started walking home. "I will never leave you again, Emma. I promise."

Later that night, Emma lay in her bed, staring out of the dark window. She and Will had to be up and at the airport early in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. She was too happy that Will was home, and it was keeping sleep away. Emma didn't mind, though, worried that she'd wake up in the morning and this would all be a dream. She smiled widely as an arm wrapped around her waist, a chin coming to rest on her shoulder.

"Are you asleep?" Will's breath was hot, tickling her ear. It made her shiver.

Emma's head shook and she turned to look at him. "No," she whispered quietly, smiling still, "I can't sleep. I'm too happy that you're home. I'm afraid that if I sleep you'll be gone when I wake up."

"I won't be gone. I'll be here. But I know the feeling," Will laughed a little, kissing her cheek, "I've had this dream before and woken up next to Carl in the middle of the woods. I love you so much, Emma."

"I love you, too."

By the time morning rolled around, Will and Emma were both able to fall asleep for a little while before her alarm clock started buzzing. Emma groaned slightly, moving to hit it off before registering that Will was next to her, causing a smile to break out on her face. She turned over and watched him for a moment before tapping his shoulder gently.

"Will, wake up." Emma shook him gently, kissing his nose. "Wake up, William!"

Will groaned and opened one of his eyes. "If I hadn't missed your beautiful voice so much, I would not be pleased about waking up."

Emma chuckled and kissed his cheek gently. "Good morning, sunshine. We need to get up and be at the airport soon."

"We're getting married today," Will stretched as he spoke, smiling widely. Emma laughed and nodded.

"We're getting married today."


End file.
